Together Lufft and McCrometer are bringing to market a low power weather monitoring solution that is easy to install and maintain, changing the parameters needed to support precise, real-time data capture capabilities anywhere its needed.

Capable of running on just 4-40 VDC (volt direct current), as opposed to previous power requirement of 12-24 VDC, the new hardware being released by Lufft will enable McCrometer CONNECT stations to be deployed in a wide variety of remote applications where power supply is an issue. For many years, both Lufft weather stations and McCrometer CONNECT solutions have been the climate and moisture monitoring tools of choice for agricultural applications, an industry that has been placing an increasing emphasis on monitoring weather conditions and other critical environmental data to achieve maximum operational efficiencies.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to work together with McCrometer CONNECT in the agrometeorological and environmental markets”, said Ann Pattison, CEO of Lufft USA. “Together we are bringing to market a low power weather monitoring solution that is easy to install and maintain, changing the parameters needed to support precise, real-time data capture capabilities anywhere it's needed.”

An example of this new collaboration is the use of Lufft 4-40 volt Weather Station with the A753 addWAVE GSM/GPRS datalogger, a sophisticated, multi-purpose base station that includes GPRS mobile data service on the 2G and 3G cellular communication system. It works in conjunction with the A850 Telemetry Gateway for control of up to 500 stations and the advanced Adcon addVANTAGE Professional server software package. addVANTAGE Professional v6.x is a data visualization, processing and distribution software application to analyze and visualize the measured data. This allows the end user to easily access data by web browser via a computer, tablet, mobile device or through a software module designed for smart phones, making live data available at one’s fingertips at any time. The whole system can be purchased by end users or they can simply purchase the field station and have data and web hosting provided by McCrometer CONNECT or one of McCrometer CONNECT’s authorized dealers.

“The Lufft WS family is great to work with due to the high quality of the design and manufacture of the units,” commented Steve Grove, Sales Engineer, McCrometer CONNECT. “The integrated SDI-12 communication protocol makes it easy to set up and works flawlessly with the Adcon System.”

With headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany and distributors and sales offices worldwide, Lufft is a global manufacturer of high quality and all-in-one weather stations designed to integrate seamlessly into existing infrastructures to measure weather conditions.

McCrometer, a Danaher company based out of Hemet, California, is a premier flow meter manufacturer and specializes in world class flow measurement. McCrometer CONNECT is the new wireless monitoring division of McCrometer formed from the purchase of Adcon Telemetry (US operations) and Automata. Adcon Telemetry GmbH (European operations) is a member of the OTT Hydromet Group of companies (also owned by Danaher) and provides base stations, wireless modems, sensors, software and other solutions to monitor precipitation, soil moisture, ETO (evapotranspiration) and weather conditions for applications in a variety of industries. Both Lufft Weather Stations and McCrometer CONNECT products are widely used in agriculture to determine the irrigation needs of crops in order to enhance yields and increase profit margin.

Lufft Weather Stations
One of the most popular models of the Lufft WS Family, the WS600-UMB Compact Weather Station is the gold standard for the measurement of air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation intensity, precipitation type, precipitation quantity, air pressure, wind direction and wind speed. Relative humidity is measured by means of a capacitive sensor element a precision NTC measuring element is used to measure air temperature. Precipitation is measured by a 24 GHz Doppler radar, which measures the drop speed of an individual drop of rain/snow. Precipitation quantity and intensity are calculated from the correlation between drop size and speed. The difference in drop speed determines the type of precipitation (rain/snow). Maintenance-free measurement offers a major advantage over the common tipping spoon and tipping bucket processes. Ultrasonic sensor technology is used to take wind measurements. Measurement output can be accessed by the following protocols: UMB-Binary, UMB-ASCII, SDI-12, MODBUS. One external temperature sensor is connectable.

A753 addWAVE (UHF radio or GSM/GPRS)
The A753 addWAVE is a universal measuring, logging and radio telemetry unit designed for year round unattended operation. This solar powered, re-chargeable NiMH or mains powered unit is designed for use in almost all environments and allows the collection and transmission of a multitude of parameters from large scale networks. There are several wireless options for the A753 including a 500mW UHF radio or a GSM/GPRS (cellular based) wireless modem for easy site selection and deployment. The GSMGPRS option works under any standard GSM/GPRS network and the 500mW UHF models can achieve transmission distances of up to 10-12 miles. No external enclosure is necessary as all components (power supply, data logger and radio) are contained in one compact aluminum enclosure that has an IP67 rating. Installation is as simple as connecting the enclosure to a mounting post, to the sensors and to a solar panel, with no other know-how required.

MC250 miniSAT
The MC250 miniSAT is a new universal, satellite based telemetry unit designed for year round unattended operation. This unit is solar powered, works from 12v solar, or A/C mains power, and is also designed to work almost anywhere and in any environment where the antenna can see the southern skyline. The satellite technology uses an Iridium satellite modem with very high reliability and fast delivery. It uses similar plug-n-play sensor connection to the A753 addWAVE and no additional external enclosures are necessary.

McCrometer is a leading global flow instrumentation specialist. They specialize in the design, manufacture and testing of flow metering solutions. Instrument process, facility, consulting engineers, and agricultural operations worldwide have confidently chosen McCrometer’s flow meters since 1955. McCrometer’s flow technologies serve in a wide range of applications and markets with special dominance in the agricultural water market. McCrometer now offers McCrometer CONNECT™, a grower’s best choice for monitoring their crops, soil moisture, weather data such as frost and ET, pumps and well levels, pivots and more. McCrometer CONNECT simplifies the data collection process by allowing the information to be read from handheld devices such as tablets or smart phones, or over the internet on their home computers. For further information, visit http://www.mccrometer.com, http://www.mccrometerconnect.com or call (951) 652-6811.

About Adcon Telemetry GmbH.

Adcon is a leading developer and manufacturer of low-power wireless sensor networks for agriculture, water management, hydrographics, meteorology and numerous other applications. Now part of OTT Hydromet, a global manufacturer of hydrology sensor technology for more than 135 years, Adcon’s telemetry solutions are available with OTT’s products to provide complete turn-key solutions. Adcon is headquartered in Klosterneuburg, Austria.